The outcome of the Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita could be determined in the first 100 yards. If Midnight Storm clears the field at the start, it is going to be very difficult to catch him.
The horse race should be good, too. A Churchill Downs throng enthralled with seeing a Triple Crown winner in the flesh and partaking in further nighttime debauchery also will be treated to a showdown among three of the best handicap horses in North America when the Stephen Foster Handicap is run Saturday night under the lights.
The entire dynamic for Saturday’s $50,000-added Albany Stakes changed dramatically when Alert Bay joined the field as a $100 supplemental entry on Wednesday.
Noble Bird is my play in the Stephen Foster Handicap on Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
Canterbury Park announced this week that it is trying to attract American Pharoah by increasing the purse for the Mystic Lake Derby to $2 million if the Triple Crown winner shows up. But Canterbury has a rising star of its own, the filly Native American, who headlines Saturday’s $40,000 L’Etoile Du Nord
As bidding stalled at $7,000 on one of White Birch Farm’s yearlings at the Harrisburg sale in 2013, Farm Manager Steve Williams felt compelled to act. Choosing to buy In The Arsenal back for $7,500, he soon proved to be the ultimate bargain. Making his first start on Canadian soil in the second $50,000 North America Cup elimination on Saturday night, In The Arsenal will be looking to extend his sophomore win-streak after going three for three to start his campaign.
As a horse player, there are always two factors that have to be weighed. One is win percentage. The other is R.O.I. Interestingly enough, the two of these often contradict each other. For example, a bet on every horse driven by the leading driver is usually a losing proposition while bets on a driver who is winning at less than 10% may be showing a profit.
Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Thursday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.
Son of a Nut cracked open the $89,450 Sagamore Sired Stakes with a burst of speed at the top of the short Indiana Grand homestretch and went on to a seven-length victory in the stakes for 3-year-olds by sires who stand in Illinois.
Theatre Star, back on the East Coast of the United States for the first time in more than 15 months, snapped a seven-racing losing streak by scoring in the second division of the $50,000 Justakiss Stakes at Delaware Park on Wednesday. In the first division, Maryland shipper Fasnacloich was much the best under Julian Pimentel, drawing off to a 6 1/2-length victory.
